This invention relates generally to vehicle seats having interconnected cushion and back members and more particularly to a vehicle seat which is improved from the standpoints of comfort and appearance by virtue of the assembly of trim covering members with a foam body.
It is a desirable objective in seating of all types, particularly vehicle seating, to construct the cushion and the back sections of the seat so that they have interior load supporting sections bounded by peripheral sections which function as bolsters to impart a feeling of stability and comfort to the seat occupant. Such seats are desirably formed of a foam material with a covering material which conforms tightly to the surface of the foam body. In the seat and method of this invention, this is accomplished by using separate covering members to cover the interior section and the peripheral section and providing for the attachment of these members at the groove which is formed at the juncture of the sections.
The seat of this invention is provided with a trim strip, preferably formed of a bendable plastic material, which is sewn to the covering members at their juncture and positioned in the groove which defines the juncture of the interior section and the peripheral section. Initially, the strip is of a size to extend into a locating groove in the tooling which supports the covering members prior to their assembly with the foam body. This provides for an accurate location of the covering members in the tooling during assembly of the seat section.
The trim strip is of a size to be sewn to the covering members and also have a section that projects into a groove in the tooling. At the juncture of the strip portion which extends into the tooling with the body of the strip, the strip is of a reduced thickness to faciliate tearing. After the foam body has been adhered to the covering members, the assembled body with the covering members thereon is removed from the tooling and the tear strip is removed by tearing it off the sewn strip. The result is a vehicle seat section in which the covering members are tightly adhered to the foam body and conform to the surface irregularities and designs in the foam body. If desired, the interior and peripheral covering members can be formed of contrasting materials since different members are used in the covering of this invention.
The result is a process that is improved from the standpoints of repeatability and quality assurance and a seating product that is improved from the standpoints of appearance and comfort.